TV News December 2017

WHEAT:NEWS TV

DECEMBER 2017Volume 4, Number 12

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Tool Time

An engineer needs more than a multimeter and a couple of Xcelite Greenies to get the job done these days.

Here are some network tools our support techs Dick Webb and Robert Ferguson (with chime-ins from systems engineers Kelly Parker and Scott Johnson) suggest you put on your Santa list if you don’t have them already.

(Note: In the image at the right, all links are active)

A telnet application such as PuTTY or TeraTerm. With a telnet app, you can determine how commands are being received between clients and servers and gather lots of good information about what is going on in your system, especially if used with WheatNet-IP’s built-in debugging tools.

A short 4- to 7-foot CAT 5/6 crossover cable, most useful for connecting gear directly into a laptop in the event you need to isolate it from the main network for troubleshooting. While you’re at it, add a USB-to-serial-port adapter for interfacing to RS232-only gear and a USB-to-RJ45 for troubleshooting the network switch. In addition, said Parker, “To use the USB connection on most modern Cisco switches you may also want to have the Cisco USB console driver installed. That’s a free download from Cisco.com.”

Remote Access software such as TeamViewer for remotely connecting to networks and devices from just about anywhere. You’ll need this especially if you support several systems and locations.

Something to view text based log files. Options range from Notepad ++ and Gamut Log Viewer to mTail, which Ferguson uses to monitor logs in near real time and to drill down on specific terms he’s watching for in the log. For editing text files, Johnson uses a commercial product called UltraEdit. ”It has saved my life many times in the last 20 years. It’s a mature product, actively developed, and can do some amazing things no other text editor can,” he said.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) browser or manager. SNMP software such as SolarWinds or Nagios can be helpful in determining if a particular network port is dropping packets or if a device is heating up. These applications can show you data packets coming in or going out, by the port, and from mic processors on out to the transmitter. Not all network devices or IP audio networks have SNMP capability. They need to generate MIB, or Management Information Base, files. For example, the I/O BLADE access units that make up our WheatNet-IP network each have a unique MIB file with hundreds of data points, and each BLADE has a unique object address in the network for SNMP monitoring and alert purposes. Using SNMP software, you can capture packet counts, uptimes, temperature readings and other critical data for troubleshooting and monitoring network switches, BLADEs, PCs and other devices in the WheatNet-IP audio network.

PTP Track Houndor similar software for analyzing PTP (IEEE 1588) network traffic such as found on an AES67 connection. “This is useful for troubleshooting PTP master issues when using AES67,” said Parker.

FTP file manager like FileZilla for not only shuttling files around, but for FTPing changes and options into the Flash memory of a Wheatstone control surface. It’s a fast and easy way to convey those changes.

Network scanner such as Angry IP Scan can also be helpful for getting a quick read on IP addresses and determining which ones are active.

Network sniffer/analyzer such as Wireshark can be used to quickly view messages exchanged between your WheatNet-IP audio network and the automation system.

Innovator and CEO Gary Snow Recognized

Our founder and CEO Gary Snow received not one or two, but three NewBay Industry Innovator awards! Gary Snow founded Wheatstone over 40 years ago and from the beginning, he was focused on – some would say obsessed with – making quality products. His first broadcast audio console was sold to WGBH in Boston in 1984, where it remained in service for 25 years (and is on display at Wheatstone's headquarters in New Bern, NC). In the early days, he would go to the AES or NAB shows with his square wave generator and scope to demonstrate the exceptional audio performance of his consoles. He designed one of the first multitrack recording consoles, which had the distinguishing addition of built-in patch bays.

Twenty years later, he'd revolutionize the industry again with tiny talent panels and other elements in an IP audio networked ecosystem that needed only a single CAT6 cable to route audio and control. In 2016, under Gary’s leadership, Wheatstone developed the first fully configurable console – the LXE. Today, Wheatstone continues to invest in the future of radio and television as one of the few broadcast-only equipment manufacturers in the industry.

“Gary loves nothing more than to build audio products. I remember him building one-off band mixers in his attic back in the seventies; I walk out in production now and marvel that we are shipping thousands of products all over the world every month from this one building in North Carolina—all due to his vision and commitment,” commented Wheatstone's Mike Shane who, like most of the core management team members at Wheatstone, has been with Gary since the beginning.

Gary has remained steadfast to his belief that quality and innovation spring from keeping manufacturing in-house, with no jobbing out. Wheatstone was one of the first in the industry to invest in surface mount technology, which then led to some amazing accomplishments in audio routing through IP networking.

NewBay’s Industry Innovator Award winners are selected by a panel of experts and evaluated on their professional achievements, technical and business innovations and continuing influence within their industries. The awards were presented by Radio World, Radio magazine and TV Technology.

“The awards are designed to shine a spotlight on the people behind the companies and technologies on which our industries depend. We offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for their contributions, and wish them continued success,” said NewBay Broadcast & Video Group Vice President & Group Publisher Eric Trabb.

These awards couldn’t be more deserving of a man dedicated to the industry we all love and serve. Congratulations, Mr. Snow!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE AUDIO OVER IP E-BOOK

Putting together a new studio? Updating an existing studio?

We've put together this IP Audio for TV Production and Beyond e-book with fresh info and some of the articles that we've authored for our website, white papers, and news that dives into some of the cool stuff you can do with a modern AoIP network like Wheatstone's WheatNet-IP. And it's FREE to download!

Your IP Question Answered

Q: We’ve been hearing a lot about the virtualization of broadcasting. What does that mean?

A: The word “virtual” can mean different things to different people. But for broadcast purposes, we often talk about virtual in terms of “putting the console behind a piece of glass” such as a tablet or PC monitor or in terms of managing remote studios or newscasts from a central, master studio. Virtualization isn’t entirely new. In fact, we’ve long been “virtualizing” studio functions using our WheatNet-IP audio network, and not just on the surface…but inside the network itself. In addition to our Glass E virtual mixer introduced several years ago for the laptop and our recent tablet app for the LXE console, every I/O BLADE that makes up the WheatNet-IP audio network includes two stereo 8x2 utility mixers. Having these virtual mixers at every I/O point on the network makes it practical to do online mixing of sounds, segue remotely between feeds, overdub and pan, set up IFBs on the fly, you name it. Similarly, we added dynamic EQ and other virtual audio tools to I/O points in the network for “spot” processing satellite feeds, headphone audio, web streams or any other audio feed routed throughout the network. Virtualizing resources instead of limiting them to fixed hardware in a single location makes it possible to share resources across the network and brings far more adaptabilty to the broadcast operation.